What Makes a Family?
by Fujin Kazano
Summary: (A slight AU) What really makes a family? Is it a home? Is it the people? Or is it the feelings they share? In a prep class friend and foe are partnered up and have to live with each other along with a child. Will they learn what a family truely is?
1. Day Of Reckoning

A/N: This jus' came ta me!! Heh, it's weird, I know… but hell! I think it's cool!!  
  
Ok… ta make this work, yo… I made it an AU kinda. Scott, Jean, Pietro, Wanda, Kitty, Rogue, Amanda, Kurt, Todd and Lance are all in their 3rd or 4th year in college… Everythin' else is the same, kays? The only reason why I didn't include more of da charas is cause then the story would be WAY too big!!! Oh Yeah!! And no one knows bout the mutants yet, alrighty?? Ok.. so I changed a few more things.. butcha have ta read on!  
  
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Chapter 1: Day Of Reckoning  
  
1st period came around at the University of Bayville. The class of 10 students came into their class of 'Juvenile care'. Only 10 students in their junior or Senior year had made the grades to be in the second semester: Jean Grey, Scott Summers, Rogue, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Todd Tolensky, Amanda Sefton, Kurt Wagner, Lance Alvers and Kitty Pryde. Funny how they were divided in half and disliked each other… And it was also funny that most of these students had secret powers that they had to hide from the world… but what was funnier, was the assignment that they were about to get on this Day of Reckoning.  
  
"Alright, class! Welcome to your second semester! I'm glad all of you made the cuts… but I have a very special assignment for all of you that I will tell you all about near the end of class." Mrs. Cory said before she began her lecture. She assigned them class work that took about a 30 minutes to finish so then they had 20 minutes left in the 2-hour class. Mrs. Cory told them to clear their desks and she began to explain the assignment that would change their lives...  
  
"Since all of you have proven that you are all trust worthy and responsible adults… This assignment is very important and crucial to your grades! I am aware of the professions that you are interested in going into like Therapy, Pediatric career any kind of medical care, foster agents. And there are a few in here that just want to learn more about becoming a 'stay at home' mom. But... there is, of course, the one who just needed the extra credit to graduate." Mrs. Cory said and glanced over at Pietro, who looked up and acted innocent.   
  
"I want all of you to understand how it is in the real world with your careers that have to deal with children. So that's why, I have asked for extra funds from the generous man, Charles Xavier, the one who backs this university and supplies us with more than half of our funds... The principle also agreed with Professor Xavier and my ideas... so now we have 5 houses where the lot behind the school was." The students looked at each other… well, the brotherhood looked at members of the brotherhood and X-Men looked at the other X-Men members… while Amanda Sefton, the girl who knew nothing of any of the others in the class just gave the teacher a blank look. She raised her hand.  
  
"But, Mrs. Cory, There are 10 of us…." Amanda said timidly.  
  
"I know that, Ms. Sefton. I was getting to that. All of you will be paired up boy and girl. You two will be living with each other for the remainder of the semester. It will be like a pretend marriage. You and your 'spouse' will have to learn to live together peacefully… since I have noticed the majority of you don't get along, this shall be interesting… and you will be moving in tonight from your dorm rooms." Mrs. Cory said. "I will be assigning you spouses and you two will have to get along… your grade depends on it. Oh, yes… and you all, who are adults now, will have to learn to look after one another in your family. You all will also be adopting a child from the local orphanage..." Every jaw in the class dropped but it was unnoted by Mrs. Cory seeing as she continued to talk, "well, it is more like a 'big brother' type program... you will be getting the child ready to their new parents when they are adopted."   
  
"I will now be assigning you to your partner. Remember that both of your grades depend on how your 'marriage' works out." Mrs. Cory got out her notebook and looked through it. "Alright. Lance Alvers, you'll be with…"   
  
The college senior's eyes went from out the window to his teacher. 'Kitty Pryde, Kitty Pryde, please be Kitty Pryde.' Lance thought to himself. He knew that Kitty was on the opposite side of the 'good fight', but he had strong feelings for her. He really liked that energetic 'valley girl' junior. But… he was very disappointed and horror struck when he heard the teacher call out someone else's name. He looked in the direction that the teacher was pointing and he nearly fell over in his chair. "ROGUE??" Lance yelled. Rogue glared at him and rolled her eyes.   
  
Rogue, who was a junior, had been hoping that she would get Scott Summers… He was the guy that she had been after ever since she had joined the X-Men. She sighed and put her head down on her desk as if she was ready to die. 'This is going to be very hard.' Rogue thought to herself.   
  
"Jean Grey and… Scott Summers." Jean and Scott looked at each other as their names where called. Scott had deep feelings for Jean that went beyond friendship, but he would never admit it… that went for Jean, also, but she had been dating the star of the college foot ball team, Duncan Mathers, for quite a while now since she had given up almost all hope on Scott since he had gotten together with the cheer leader, Terrain Fujika. This was a godsend… and a curse for them both.  
  
"Pietro Maximoff and Kitty Pryde." Pietro, the fast talking womanizer, looked over at Kitty with a stunned glance; he couldn't believe this! The college senior smirked to himself, with the knowledge that he was going to have so much fun making Lance jealous… even though Kitty wasn't really his type. Kitty, who was hoping to get Kurt, slumped down in her chair. 'Great! I got Speedy…' she thought to herself and groaned.  
  
"Wanda Maximoff and Todd Tolensky." Todd smiled widely when this was announced! He looked over at Wanda, who was sitting right next to him.  
  
"We're gonna have lots o' fun, babe cakes!" Todd said.   
  
"Drop dead." Wanda said as she looked over at the toad-boy who was one class under her… but that wasn't the reason why she always got so irritated with him. They were both members of the brotherhood, they were kind of friends, but Todd was head over heels for Wanda… and she didn't like the way he expressed his feelings for her. The thought of spending the next 4 months LIVING with him wasn't a thrill, either.  
  
"Ahem!" Mrs. Cory said as she looked at the few people talking… "And that leaves Amanda Sefton and Kurt Wagner. I'm giving you the rest of the class period to talk to your partner and come get your papers. Both or one of you will have to pick up your adopted child tonight after school." The teacher said and sat down. The students looked at each other…  
  
Kurt walked over to Amanda… sure, he had hoped to be with Kitty, but he knew Amanda from his math class. They were both juniors and kind of friends! But unbeknownst to Kurt, Amanda has a huge crush on him! Kurt smiled at Amanda, got up, and walked over to her desk. She stood up also.   
  
"Umm... Hi, Kurt… let's get our papers!" Amanda said as she walked over to the teacher's desk. Kurt followed her. He took the papers from the teacher and handed half of them to Amanda as he looked through them.   
  
"Vell, uh... Amanda, I'm Kurt Wagner," Kurt said, trying to figure out what to say to this very pretty girl. Kurt and Amanda were both in their 3rd year in college, but they were very shy around each other.  
  
Amanda laughed softly. "I'm Amanda... but I guess you already know that…" Amanda said and smiled at Kurt and blushed. Kurt blushed also. "Umm... I'm really looking forward to this, Kurt…" Amanda said softly.   
  
"Vat? You are? Really? I mean, I am too..." Kurt said and smiled at Amanda again… but at the same time, he was panicking. Sooner or later she was going to realized WHAT he was! And what about the child? This was going to be hard…   
  
~  
  
The students TRIED to get along for the rest of the class period, but they mostly stayed away from each other. "What have I done…?" Mrs. Cory thought to her self then smiled as all of the students filed out. "They will learn to live among each other… I know it." Mrs. Cory thought aloud and went back to doing to her paper work.   
  
~  
  
After School, Kitty, Jean and Rogue were waiting out front for their partners.   
  
"Like, I can NOT believe I got Pietro Maximoff! He'll be bringing girls home and running in and out of the house! He'll leave me to do everything! I know it!" Kitty said as she watched the entrance of the school for Pietro. "Like, plus he's Magneto's son! I am NOT going to survive this!"   
  
"Ya think you have it bad? Ah got the rock-tumbler…" Rogue mumbled and rolled her eyes.   
  
"Well, like, I would totally rather have Lance than Pietro!" Kitty said.  
  
"I guess I kind of lucked out… I mean, Scott and I have always been good friends…" Jean said. "But I still need to talk to Duncan about it… he isn't here today." Jean said and Rogue sighed, irritated.   
  
"I'm happy for you, Jean! You totally lucked out!" Kitty said and smiled at her friend.   
  
"Yeah, ah'm sure that you and Scott will have a grand time. Ah gotta go." Rogue said as she stormed off to where she saw Lance was. She was jealous of Jean; VERY jealous of her… and that jealousy seemed to be emitted from the 21 year old's body. Lance, sensing that Rogue was angry by the way she was walking towards him, got in his jeep and waited for Rogue, who, soon after, got in and buckled herself in. "Les go…." Rogue mumbled. Lance rolled his eyes and drove towards the orphanage.  
  
"What's wrong? Did you touch a bug or something?" Lance asked. He didn't like Rogue and Rogue didn't like him so there was no use in pretending to be civil with each other.  
  
"Hmph. Jus' get us there with out causin' a tremor, shake-foot." Rogue said.   
  
~  
  
"What's her problem?" Jean asked softly to Kitty, who shrugged.   
  
"I dunno… I don't think she was happy about getting Lance, not that I blame her!" Kitty said and shook her head. "But you are so lucky, Jean! I bet Scott's going to help you out! Unlike Pietro.." Kitty said as she   
  
looked over at where she had last seen Pietro… he was in the middle of a group of girls.. STILL! Kitty knew that even though she was one year younger than the 22 year old pretty boy, she was much more mature than him.  
  
~  
  
"Oh man! Scott! Vat do I do? I mean, if Amanda touches my hand even she'll know somezing iz up!" Kurt said as he and Scott walked out of the school. "An' vat if she finds blue fuzz in ze bath room?? I am toast!"  
  
"Kurt, hey, calm down! Just keep your cool and watch yourself. I'm sure that you'll do just fine. Hey, there's Jean, I'll see you later, Kurt! Good Luck!" Scott said and ran over to where Jean and Kitty were, leaving Kurt alone.   
  
"Oh man! Vat am I gonna do?"  
  
~  
  
"Toad, leave me alone!" Wanda said as she walked towards her car. Todd followed and let himself in her car.   
  
"But snookums! We have to go pick up our little kid! I hope it's a boy…" Todd said and buckled himself in. Wanda rolled her eyes and got inside her car. She remained silent, but turned up her music so loud that she couldn't hear Todd talk if he did.  
  
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A/N: Hehehehehehe!!!! This is gonna be fun ta write!  
  
--AJ 


	2. Learning

Chapter 2: Learning  
  
Kitty looked over at the decreasing number of girls that had gathered around Pietro. 'Well, now or never…' Kitty thought to herself and walked over to his circle. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Please move!" Kitty said as she pushed a few girls out of her way so she could get to Pietro. The girls gave her snotty and insulting looks as Kitty passed them, and then stood beside Pietro.   
  
"Pietro, we need to get going!" Kitty said. "I, like, wanna see our kid before night fall!" Kitty said. She was met with a lot of dangerous glares from the girls.  
  
"Alright, Kitty-Cat. Hey, girls!" Pietro said to all of the ladies. "I'll see all of you later on!" He smirked and then walked towards his car with Kitty following him. She was already getting irritated with him! How would this work out?? Kitty got into Pietro's roomy car along with Pietro and he drove towards the orphanage.  
  
"I hope you're going to be around at least a little while when we have the kid!" Kitty said to Pietro as she began to worry about her grade.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Pietro mumbled as he drove. He had a few dates tonight so he was in a rush… and Kitty could tell by the way he was driving. She just rolled her eyes and sighed. This already wasn't a happy marriage. Pietro and Kitty remained silent the rest of the way there… Pietro was worried, but not about the marriage thing. He was more worried about what his father would say to him and an X-Geek living together… he did NOT need to get on his father's bad side!!  
  
When they got to the orphanage, Kitty smiled at all of the kids that were playing inside. A few of them had gathered around the entrance to see the people waiting. Kitty noted that the other 4 'couples' were here and waiting for the Matron to come. When she finally did come, she shooed the children away to go off and play with the other kids. Kitty smiled at how the kids played and nearly paid no attention to the Matron as she spoke.  
  
"Now, I know that all of you are still in your early twenties and don't have much experience with children. But I have received your records from all of you 3 or 4 years in child care. You all have proven yourselves to be very worthy of this…. But remember, every child is different. And you must also remember that you are not their mother or father… the children I have recommended for you are foster children that have already been through a few foster homes… so they will know that you are not their real parent…."  
  
Pietro looked at the kids and rolled his eyes. He didn't want to spend the rest of his last college semester baby-sitting a snot nosed brat! He looked over at Kitty and how she seemed so happy from watching how the kids played with each other. "What's the big deal? They're just kids!" Pietro said.  
  
"Pietro! Don't tell me you're so cold hearted that you can watch a child playing and NOT feel anything!!" Kitty said and walked to get inline with the other couples. Pietro shrugged… he did feel something when he looked at the kids… but it wasn't like he was going to say what it was to anyone!! But he and Wanda, he knew, most likely felt the same way… he had been abandoned at their father's friends, the Maximoff family, when he was 9 and after Wanda had been taken to the asylum… not that she remembered that now!  
  
Pietro stood in line with Kitty silently and watched the children play.   
  
~  
  
Rogue and Lance were the first people in line. They gave their names to the Matron, and the Matron gave them the folder filled with the background and a picture of 'their' child, then she told the two to go find their child. Rogue took the folder and looked at the picture, then at the name. "Alright…. uh… we have a boy… he's 5 an' his name is Ben." Rogue said to Lance and Lance snatched the folder from Rogue's hands. He began to walk to the other side of the room where the kids were playing. Lance was the one in school to become a foster agent. His experiences in foster home after foster home wasn't pleasant so he vowed to make sure that kids were never treated like he was. But then again, Rogue was also going to be a foster agent much like the Matron here. She, who always knew the kind woman Irene Adler had adopted her, wanted kids to have a loving family that she had wanted…  
  
"Just don't touch him, Rogue." Lance said coldly as he looked for the boy who matched the description of the picture.   
  
"Hey, you jerk! He's mine to, yanno! Ah know what ta do!" Rogue said angrily as she ran over to where Lance was and glared at him.   
  
"That's a nice impression you're making on the kids already, darling." Lance said as he looked back at the kids that were staring at Rogue. "I think that's him over there." Lance said as he shoved the folder at Rogue then walked over to where the kids playing with the blocks were. He bent down to the little boy's level and looked at him with a kind and gentle expression. "Hey, kid. What are you doing?" Lance asked gently. The little boy looked up at Lance with a proud smile.   
  
"I'm building a castle!" he said and Lance smiled. The boy beamed and put out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Ben!"   
  
"I'm Lance… I'm going to be taking you home with me to our own castle… how does that sound?" Lance asked with a smile and shook his head.  
  
"Yoo mean… you're gonna be my daddy??" Ben asked with a huge smile. He jumped up and stood up straight. Lance nodded. "I got a daddy!!" Ben said and hugged Lance by putting his arms around his neck. Lance smiled and picked Ben up. He began to walk back towards Rogue.   
  
Rogue blinked as if trying to figure out if what she just saw was real or not. She was trying to grasp the concept that Lance was actually acting like a good father! She was absolutely stunned! Lance, with Ben in his arms, stopped in front of Rogue and glared at her.   
  
"What now?!" Lance growled at Rogue, who quickly snapped out of her trance.   
  
"Nuthin'!" Rogue hissed, then smiled when she looked at Ben. "Hi there, Ben. I'm gonna be yer foster-momma.." Rogue said with a smile and Ben smiled back at her.   
  
"I got a mommy and a daddy!!"  
  
~  
  
"Alright, Wanda Maximoff and Todd Tolensky… here you go!" The matron said and handed Todd the folder. Wanda and Todd walked to where the kids were together and looked at the picture along with some of the information.  
  
"His name is Sean an' is 5 years old. Look at 'em!! Wut happened ta him??" Todd asked as he looked at the picture of Sean. Sean had a long and horrible scar that took over the right side of his face. He also had an eye patch over his right eye. Todd stared at the picture, scared about how to approach the kid, but Wanda looked at the picture with a very sympathetic look.   
  
"Where is he? I don't see him with the other kids…" Wanda said as she looked around the room. Then she spotted Sean at the corner of the room, alone. He wasn't playing with any toys, but he was sitting on the floor with his head facing towards the ground. Wanda looked back at Todd and motioned for him to follow her as she walked over to him. Wanda looked down at the kid and kneeled down.   
  
"Hello. I'm Wanda, this is Todd." Wanda said as she tried to look into his face, but the boy's long brown hair kept it hidden. Todd kneeled down also.  
  
"Yo, Sean. Ya wanna come home with us?" Todd asked with a smile.  
  
"No. Go away." Sean said and turned his back on them. Wanda and Todd looked at each other with a strange look as if asking each other: 'What do we do now?!'   
  
"Sean, what's wrong?" Wanda asked. She knew that she HAD to get through to this child today if they were going to be spending the next four months together. This was a good test for her to try out some of the things she had learned in psychology… though that was not her profession that she had chosen; Wanda wanted to become a doctor.  
  
"…go away. I just want to be left alone." Sean said sadly.  
  
"Ey, I know what dat feels like, yo…butcha know, we're here ta live wit us! Do ya really wanna be left here?" Todd asked, HE was the one studying to become a child psychologist. Wanda looked at him. 'How does he know what it feels like..?' Wanda wondered, but she had to focus on Sean right now.   
  
"We're here to help, Sean." Wanda said.  
  
"…." Sean didn't say anything as he stood up and turned to face Wanda and Todd. His dark hair completely covered the right side of his face and eye as Sean kept his eyes down cast.   
  
"That's a little better, buddy." Todd said and smiled.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Wanda, Todd… but you're not my parents." Sean said blankly.   
  
  
  
"We're not trying to replace them. We just want to take care of you." Wanda said and her and Todd lead Sean to get his things.  
  
~  
  
Scott and Jean were next. They got the folder and looked in it quietly. They had a 4-year-old girl named Rachel who had blonde hair, blue eyes and a bright smile. "She's cute.." Jean said with a smile and Scott smiled, too. He wanted to say: "She looks as cute as you, Jean." But he knew he couldn't… Jean was still dating Duncan and he had to respect that.  
  
"Let's go find her." Scott said as he and Jean walked to the group of girls playing dolls. Jean spotted the blonde girl and smiled down at her.  
  
"Hello, Rachel." Jean said as she looked down at the girl, who looked back up at Jean. Immediately, her eyes lit up and she jumped up, forgetting about her dolls.   
  
"You're here to bring me home with you?! YAY! I have a momma!" Rachel said and hugged Jean's leg. Jean smiled; she loved this feeling of making a child happy. "I'm coming home with you, right momma?" Rachel asked.  
  
"Umm…. Uh…." Jean said, she had wanted to introduce herself as more of a big sister figure… "I'm more like you're big sister, ok?" Jean said at the still smiling girl. "You ARE coming home with us for a little while… with me and Scott, your… what's wrong?" Jean asked as she saw how Rachel was looking at Scott. Rachel looked like she was afraid of Scott!   
  
"Hi, Rachel, I'm Scott. You can think of me as your--" Scott said as he looked down at Rachel, who was holding onto Jean's leg tighter.   
  
"I don't want a daddy!" Rachel said and looked away from Scott. Scott and Jean looked at each other.  
  
"Then you can call him Scott until you two get to know each other, ok?" Jean asked the little girl, and she nodded. Scott sighed and looked around at the other couples… they seemed to be doing ok.. especially Alvers. Scott glared at Lance; they never got along… and Lance was out doing Scott! Jean, seeing how Scott was reacting to all this, sighed and shook her head. This may be a problem…  
  
~  
  
Kurt and Amanda received their folder with very wide smiles. Even though Kurt was nervous about having a kid around him, he was excited at the same time! Amanda was also very excited but not only about getting a kid to take care of. Sure, she always loved kids, but staying with Kurt is her dream come true!  
  
"Ve 'ave a girl!" Kurt said happily. "'ear that honey? Ve 'ave a 5 year old girl!" Kurt laughed along with Amanda.  
  
"What's her name?" Amanda asked and looked at the picture of the redheaded girl. She had freckles on her cheeks and dark green eyes.   
  
"Her name iz Ginger." Kurt said as he looked around. "I don't zee her anyvere…" Kurt said as he scanned the room.   
  
"Over there!" Amanda said and pointed at the girl who was running around the room with her arm outstretched pretending to be an airplane. Amanda giggled. "She sure seems 'Ginger-y'!" Amanda said and walked towards the girl with Kurt at her side.   
  
"'ello, Ginger. I'm going to be your papa… and zis iz your new mama. We're going to be playing houze for a little while, ok?" Kurt said as the girl pretended to fly around the two. She stopped right in between them and smiled. Her green eyes lit up light a candle and hugged Amanda. She jumped up and down as she held her new mother's hands. She tried to grab Kurt's hand, but he backed away. Ginger didn't mind, she just grabbed Amanda's other hand and danced around.   
  
"I got a family! I got a family!" Ginger said happily. But Amanda gave Kurt a disapproving look. She would have to talk about that later on tonight… but right now, Amanda danced with Ginger and jumped up and down in the little girl's excitement.   
  
~  
  
"Ok. Now which little snot-nosed brat is ours, huh??" Pietro asked impatiently as he and Kitty stood in the center of the room. Kitty was looking through the folder.   
  
"Why don't you go sit down or something?! I'll tell you when I found her!" Kitty said. He was really starting to get on her nerves. She read the information about the little girl carefully and studied the picture before looking around.  
  
Pietro sat down on a couch on the kid's side of the room. He looked around at the kids with a look of disgust. They not only smelled, but they were dirty! Hmph. He was not going to enjoy being a father!! Pietro leaned back on the couch and unbeknownst to him, there was a little girl sitting on the floor to his right side. She was looking up at him with a little smile, then, when he looked down at her, she blushed and looked back down at her little doll.   
  
Something about this little girl caught Pietro's attention. She had white skin like an angel and long blonde hair that nearly looked white. She seemed to glow with goodness and a sweet aura as she brushed her doll's hair gently. She looked so small and weak… so vulnerable and helpless... but so full of hope and happiness. Pietro couldn't tear his eyes away from this little girl. He leaned forward on the couch so that he was closer to her.   
  
"Hiya." Pietro said. The little girl jumped and looked back at Pietro.  
  
"Hi." She said. She had a little voice that was very timid and shy.   
  
"I'm Pietro." He said and put out his hand to the little girl. She hesitated as she shook his hand slowly and gently. Pietro surprised himself at how slow he was moving around the little girl. He didn't want to scare her for she looked like she would get up and run to the other side of the room in any second from now.  
  
"I-I'm Hayli." She said and her dull blue eyes shone with a hope and a beauty that made Pietro want to protect.   
  
"Nice to meetcha, Hayli. What do you got there?" Pietro asked and Hayli looked down at her doll.  
  
"This is Pamitamia. She's my best friend!" Hayli said and hugged the old Barbe doll. Pietro smiled at the innocent little girl.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Pamitamia!" Pietro said and shook the doll's hand. Hayli laughed.  
  
"You're silly!" Hayli said and giggled. She suddenly got quiet, then held her doll close to her chest. Hayli looked down at the ground and looked like she was going to cry. "Are you going to take me home with you? Like the other children?" She asked quietly.  
  
Those words struck Pietro like a spear of ice right through his heart. He gulped and looked around for Kitty. 'Kitty! I need a little help, here!! Come on! Where are you?!' Pietro thought as he looked around the room for Kitty… then he found her. Kitty was standing to the left of him so he hadn't been able to see her when he was talking to Hayli. Kitty was smiling and nodded her head.. Pietro's heart leapt for joy as he looked down at Hayli and smiled.  
  
"Yes I am, Hayli. And this here is Kitty. She's going to be your mom for awhile and we're going to live together just like a family!"  
  
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A/N: Ok, so the first chapter really sucked. How do you like this one, eh??  
  
--AJ 


	3. Night 1

Chapter 3: Night #1  
  
Rogue, Lance and their 'son' made their way to their new 'castle' as Lance had put it. Rogue and Lance had already gotten what little things they had to get out of their dorm rooms then the happy family went straight their new home in the small, two stories, 3-bed room, 1 bath, house that was behind the college, Lance helped Ben get his things out of Lance's jeep. Rogue went up to the door, which had the huge number 2 on it, and unlocked it with the key that they had received earlier. She slowly went inside and looked around the first room, the living room. It was fully furnished and had a TV. Rogue smiled as she walked further into the house. On the coffee table, she saw some instructions and a FAQ about the house along with the rules about living in the house.   
  
"Hey Rogue, why don't you make yourself useful and cook something?" Lance asked harshly as he walked in the door right before Ben. If it hadn't been for the happy look on Ben's face, Rogue would have given Lance a large portion of her mind… but right now, she just glared at Lance and shook her head in a warning fashion. Lance looked down at Ben. "Come on, kid. Let's check this place out!" Lance said and he raced Ben up the stairs while carrying the two small suitcases. Rogue just rolled her eyes and followed them.   
  
"I guess this is your room, kid." Lance said as he looked around at the little boy's room. It had toys and a cowboy theme going on all around the room. Lance set the suitcase down on the floor for Ben, who was occupied by looking around at the inside of his new room. "Heh… kids…" Lance said as he turned around and walked down the hall. He stopped when he saw two doors: one to his left and one to his right. "Hmph. This one's mine." He said as he looked at both of them, and then picked the one on the same side as Ben.   
  
"Whate'er…" Rogue said and sighed. She set her things down in her room, but she didn't unpack. Instead, Rogue walked back to Ben's room and watched him look around at all of the things that were now his. "How do ya like yer new room, sugah?" Rogue asked Ben. Ben looked up from the small collection of cowboy and Indian figures and smiled.   
  
"I love it, mommy!" Ben said and smiled. Rogue couldn't help but to smile. She would never get used to being called 'Mommy', but it was something she liked. Rogue sighed as she heard footsteps behind her and she knew what was coming so she thought she should take the offensive. "What do you want?"   
  
"What?! I didn't even say anything!" Lance said angrily. Ben looked up from the toys over at his 'parents'. Rogue and Lance both felt a ping of guilt, but they both put on a smile for Ben. Lance looked over at Rogue. "So, when's dinner?" Lance asked innocently, as if it was a normal question.   
  
"Come wit' meh!" Rogue growled as she took Lance's hand roughly with her gloved one and led him down the stairs before he could protest. Before he knew it, he was being pushed towards the stove. "It's ready once ya cook it." Rogue said and sat down at the table. Ben had followed the two and now hid himself near the doorway to the kitchen. He watched his parents.   
  
"Wha….? Huh?" Lance asked as he looked around.   
  
"Teach said there was food in the cabinets and fridge. Cook or you ain't eatin'!" Rogue said and glared at Lance.  
  
"You're forgetting who has the keys to the jeep outside!" Lance said and glared at Rogue. Rogue merely responded by taking off one of her gloves. Lance turned as white as a ghost. Soft laughter could be heard from the door way and both of the 'adults' looked to find Ben standing in the doorway, laughing. Lance smiled wider than Rogue did as he had to laugh along with him.   
  
"Hey, kid, have you been listening to us?" Lance asked and crossed his arms across his chest. Ben walked into the kitchen and nodded.   
  
"You two are funny!" Ben said. "You're afraid of mommy's glove!!" Ben giggled and Rogue quickly put her glove back on. She patted her lap.  
  
"Ben, wouldya like ta see daddy cook dinner?" Rogue asked as she smirked evilly at Lance. Ben nodded and hopped on Rogue's lap.   
  
~  
  
"Mmmmm! 'manda, That vas a vonderful dinner." Kurt said as he cleared his plate. Amanda and Ginger both laughed.  
  
"Kurt, that was take out!" Amanda laughed and shook her head.   
  
"Vat? Zat vazn't you're cooking? You tricked me!" Kurt said, playing around with Amanda. Ginger continued to giggle.   
  
"Kurt-papa?" Ginger asked as she got up and walked over to her 'papa'. Kurt looked down at her as he threw the trash and wrappers away. Kurt suddenly became very nervous as she tugged on his over shirt. "Why do you talk like that?"  
  
"Like vat?" Kurt asked, not expecting that to be her question.  
  
"Vike ziz!" Ginger said and giggled again. She tugged on his over shirt again.  
  
"Oh! Right! Vell, I'm from Germany… Zat iz a place very far away from here!" Kurt said and smiled down at Ginger… Until she began to play around with his over shirt. Kurt didn't want her to feel what his legs felt like.. he didn't want to scare her! He didn't need to be exposed as a monster to this little, cheerful girl! He pulled on his over shirt. "Ok, zat iz enough, Ginger-daughter!" Kurt said. They had come up with these names for each other much to Ginger's pleasure.   
  
"But Kurt-papa! It's fuzzy!" Ginger giggled. Kurt gulped and just tried to laugh along with Ginger. Amanda sensed Kurt's uneasiness.  
  
"Um, Ginger? Why don't you go to your room and get ready for bed, ok?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Aw, Amanda-mama, do I have to? Kurt-papa, do I have to?" Ginger whined.   
  
"Ah, I know… but I vill read you a bed time story, promise!" Kurt said and Ginger brightened up. She hurried up stairs to get ready for bed and to pick out a bedtime story.   
  
"Kurt," Amanda said as she stood up and looked at him, "what's wrong with you?"   
  
"Vat do you mean?" Kurt asked innocently.  
  
"You're avoiding Ginger! You barely touch her!" Amanda said, but did not yell. She was upset, though.  
  
"Uh….. ah." Kurt sighed. He looked down at his watch. "Amanda, I vant to show you zomething. But you 'ave to promise not to tell anyone, avright?" Kurt asked and Amanda walked over to him.   
  
"Of course, Kurt." Amanda said gently and smiled at him. Kurt took a deep breath in.   
  
"Just don't run avay…." Kurt said and turned off his image inducer. The real Kurt Wagner stood in front of Amanda. He looked down at the floor with a sad look. "I vill understand if you vish to keep your distance from me, Amanda…" Kurt said sadly.  
  
"Did I ever tell you that blue was my favorite color?" Amanda asked as she smiled into Kurt's eyes. "I think you still look as handsome as ever…" Amanda said and held one of his three fingered hands. "Now I know… And I'll keep your secret. You don't have to worry about that, Kurt." Amanda said. "Come on, let's go tuck Ginger in," Amanda said and grabbed Kurt's hand to lead him up stairs.   
  
"Vat?? You're not disturbed by the blue and fuzzy-ness?" Kurt asked in a depressed voice as he turned his image inducer back on.   
  
"Of course not, silly… You're still you…" Amanda said as they neared Ginger's room. She smiled back at him.  
  
"Amanda-mama! I found a book!" Ginger said when she heard her 'mama's' voice from outside her room. Kurt and Amanda walked into Ginger's room, which had an airplane and choo-choo train theme.   
  
~  
  
The happy residence in house number 4 was just trying to kill the silence. Wanda and Todd had tried nearly everything to get Sean to talk to them about ANYTHING… but all the boy wanted was to be left alone. The kid didn't even want to eat dinner with them! Wanda and Todd were miserable… Wanda more so than Todd. Wanda was pacing in the living room when Todd came down stairs, defeated.   
  
"Any luck?" Wanda asked Todd. He shook his head and she threw her hands up in a fit. "Why can't we get through to him?"   
  
"Now Sugar plum, give the boy some time.. ya read the folder an' stuff wit me… he's been through a lot o' foster families since his parents died in the fire! He's had some trouble fittin' in, yo?" Todd said and sat down on the couch.   
  
"…." Wanda didn't say anything as she looked down in thought. Todd was actually right.   
  
"So, sweedums, while we have some 'we' time, why dun ya sit right here next ta me and we can snuggle?" Todd asked hopefully. He smiled brightly and blinked as if he was asking a simple question like what do you want to eat for dinner.   
  
"Ahhh!" Wanda yelled in frustration. "I'll be in my room!" Wanda said as she turned towards the stairs. She saw a wisp of long brown hair and dark clothes run around the corner of the stairs. Sean had been watching and listening to both Wanda and Todd secretly. Wanda smirked to herself and walked up the stairs. She paused before walking past Sean's room.   
  
"It's alright, Sean. You're welcome to come down at any time or knock at my door at any time of the day or night." Wanda said quietly. She knew that Sean was there and listening. Wanda continued to walk towards her room. This was beginning to be too much for her. Where did that come from?! Her 'motherly' instincts were coming out naturally with out any control…  
  
Hours later, Wanda had fallen asleep on her bed, but the two boys of the house where up. Sean had locked his door… again… and Todd was sitting right outside it.   
  
"…what happened then?" Sean asked.  
  
"Wut could I do, yanno? I ran! An' I jumped the fence and ran straight back home, yo!" Todd said, finishing a story about one of his earlier day street fights.   
  
"…you just let him win?"   
  
"Of course not! I had already won, yo. Remember the argument? Wull dat's what the fight was all 'bout! An' since he wanted ta bring in his buddies, that just proved me right, yo!" Todd said.  
  
"…"  
  
"Sean, you still awake?" Todd asked through the door.   
  
"…." Todd could hear nothing but the sound of a slow breathing. He smiled to himself and took out a hairpin. He picked the lock on Sean's door and found the boy curled up in a ball on the floor. Todd smiled down at the boy and picked him up, then set him on the bed. Todd looked around in Sean's room. It had pictures of blue lions all around the walls and the toys were mostly that of animals. Todd then turned around and walked out of Sean's room, leaving the door open. Todd knew that Wanda didn't expect him to do anything… let alone anything right. But this is how he was going to prove himself to his snookums! He was going to prove to her that he could be a serious father! In the six years that Todd and Wanda had known each other, Todd had always been a screw up in front of Wanda. Always being distracted by trying to impress her instead on his safety or the well being of others. But this is what Todd was good at! He was in school to become a therapist… not only to help those that he can relate to, but also to help a certain witch…  
  
~  
  
"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up!" Hayli said as she shook Kitty's arm. Hayli was panicked and very scared. "Mommy! Wake up, please!! Please, wake up!!" Hayli cried. Kitty slowly woke up, but when she realized who was shaking her, she nearly jumped out of bed. Kitty turned on her lamp to see Hayli's tear stricken face.  
  
"Hayli, what's wrong, honey?" Kitty asked. Today had been a wonderful day to Kitty! They, as in, Pietro, Kitty and Hayli, played with the toys in Hayli's room for about an hour straight! Then Pietro had to leave, much to Hayli's displeasure. Pietro didn't say where he was going because he was in front of Hayli… but Kitty knew. Kitty knew that he was seeing those other girls… those sluts! 'Whoa, Kitty, calm down… I don't care about Pietro, remember? Then…?' Kitty thought as she held Hayli in her arms and tried to calm down the crying girl. The two had really bonded earlier when Kitty was trying to make dinner for the two of them… but she failed and Hayli ended up showing Kitty what to do!! Of course they ended up going out for take-out Chinese food, but they had fun none-the-less.   
  
"It's daddy! He's still not back and there's a monster down stairs!" Hayli cried into Kitty's shoulder. Hayli was really scared! Kitty picked the shaken little girl up in her arms and rocked her back and forth as Kitty began to walk towards the down stairs.   
  
"I'm sure that IS daddy just getting a mid-night snack…" Kitty said but she silently hoped that it really was a burglar or monster. She had no idea what condition Pietro would be in if he came in this late.. it was nearly 1 in the morning! When Kitty was half way to the stairs, she realized that Hayli had fallen asleep in her arms so Kitty turned back around and went into Hayli's room. Kitty set Hayli down on her bed and tucked her in. Kitty suddenly frowned as she phased through the floor and landed in the kitchen. She looked around and saw Pietro going through the refrigerator.  
  
"Pietro! Where have you been??" Kitty asked and put her hands on her hips. Pietro stood up straight and ran a hand down his face, as if trying to loosen his features… but that didn't work. He looked back at Kitty with a serious and dreadful look that no one should see on Pietro Maximoff's face.  
  
"What do you care?" Pietro asked. He was serious. He WASN'T playing around or being cool… this was a different side of Pietro Maximoff that very few ever got to see. Pietro got himself a glass of cold water and began to make his way back upstairs.   
  
"Because I…." Kitty stopped herself. No. She didn't care about him! He was nothing but a brotherhood boy! "Because Hayli needed you!" Kitty said as she followed him closely. "Is-is that a hicky on your neck?" Kitty asked as she looked at him. "How irresponsible! Pietro, where were you?? Just how many girls did you 'score' with tonight, hmmm?? I hope you grow up you… you hood!" Kitty said and Pietro stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and looked at Kitty with a dangerous glare that seemed to run in his blood.  
  
"Listen, Katherine, you don't know me. You don't know who I am or what I believe in! You don't know the first thing about me, Katherine!" Pietro slurred Kitty's name every time he spoke it, "Why don't you go talk on the phone or something." Pietro said and disappeared into his room, leaving Kitty stunned. She had never seen Pietro like that before! It was like he was a different person, almost. Kitty, still confused, walked back into her room. She felt guilty about what she had said to Pietro… but it was too late for that. He IS 22 years old… he's an adult… so why does Kitty think that she can just tell him what to do? 'Because I know what's best for him and it's… OH! Why do I care??' Kitty thought to herself.  
  
Meanwhile, Pietro sat down on his bed holding his head. He couldn't take this. Sure, he was popular with the ladies…. But just how many of them liked him for who he was? With that thought branded into Pietro's mind, he could barely stand to look at any of them. But that's when he put on his mask. The mask that protected him from being hurt by the truth… the mask that told the girls that he didn't care what they thought about him, only if he could get them or not… but once he got them, he couldn't bring himself to keep them. That's why he had very rarely ever gone out on a date with the same girl twice. He had never had a girl, because in reality, no girl would have him…. And that was nearly too much for Pietro to bear.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Yes.. I know.. a little Pietro angst there… but I have to put in foreshadowing, yanno!!! The next chappie will be up real soon, yo!  
  
--AJ 


	4. Morning!

A/N: Yeah… yeah…. You're all mad at me for not putting up this earlier… but sumthin' was wrong with my word documents and… blah  
  
I've recently received a *cough*veryrude*cough* complaint, so I have changed a few things around… if ya'll are lazy jus like me, then ya dun wanna go back to the 1st-3rd chapter to see what I fixed an' such… so you jus have ta know that Scott, Jean, Pietro, Wanda, Kitty, Rogue, Amanda, Kurt, Todd and Lance are all in their 3rd or 4th year in college… Mostly everythin' else is the same, kays?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Scott woke up early, as usual, to get ready for school. He was almost always up about 2 hours before school and an hour before Jean. Scott went ahead and got himself ready for school and spent a little time studying. When it was about 30 minutes until school and Jean nor Rachel had come down yet, he began to get worried. Scott just thought that maybe the two had slept in or something…   
  
Scott made his way up the stairs and over to Jean's room. As he approached, he heard sounds like the running of feet, the movement of furniture and other loud noises. Scott ran to Jean's door and put one hand up to his sunglasses while the other banged on the door. "Jean?! Jean!" Scott yelled.  
  
No answer. Just the sound of Jean saying: "No! Not that one!" Scott kicked the door in and looked around the room as if expecting 50 men to come at him. But all he got was a little girl scream and the angry eyes of Jean Grey!  
  
"SCOTT!" Jean yelled as she put her hands on her hips. "What is wrong with you?!" Jean asked as the small figure of Rachel ran from the top of the bed to Jean's leg. Jean was standing in her closet looking at close and trying them on; luckily she was dressed! Nonetheless, Scott stared dumbly at Jean.  
  
"But…! I heard…! There was…!" Scott tried to explain, but Jean's green eyes scorned Scott's every word as she glared at him. Rachel held onto Jean's leg with all her strength.   
  
"Why did you do that?!" Rachel asked and Scott hesitated.  
  
"I-I just wanted to see if you two were alright! Oh, man, Jean, Rachel, I'm so sorry! I just heard…!" Scott began to say.  
  
"Scott," Jean sighed, "…it's alright, just start thinking before you decide to play hero! The door was unlocked, you know." Rachel, who had begun to calm down, laughed at the way Jean had informed the stunned Scott that the door had been unlocked. Scott felt like a complete idiot…  
  
"I'm really sorry how can I make it up to you...?" Scott asked as he looked down at Rachel. She looked away from him, but her stomach growled hungrily. Scott smiled and bent down to Rachel's level. "How about I take you two out to breakfast?" Scott asked with a hopeful smile up at Jean. She looks so beautiful to him… she was in her blue jeans and a dark red t-shirt that brought out the real dark green color of her wonderful eyes… Scott stood up to gaze into her deep pools of green but Jean merely sighed.   
  
"I'm sorry, Scott, Duncan already said he'd take Rachel and me out to breakfast," Jean said as she began to walk out of her room with Rachel very close behind.   
  
"Who's Duncan?" Rachel asked, fearful. Scott followed them, just a 'little' angry from hearing the name of his 'rival for Jean's heart's' name.   
  
"He's… a very good friend of mine, Rachel, I think you'll like him." Jean said cheerfully, unaware of the damage she was dealing to Scott. But Scott just smiled at Jean whenever she looked his way and nodded his head. Scott grabbed his coffee that he had left on the coffee table in the living room, then sat down on the couch.   
  
"Hmph," Scott said, jealous. Just as Jean was about to tell Scott to not be such a control freak, a knock on the door sounded. Jean opened the door to reveal a grinning Duncan.   
  
"Hello, little girl. Is you mommy home?" Duncan asked in a joking voice to get 'his girl' to laugh. He was successful.  
  
"Oh, stop… Rachel?" Jean asked as she looked behind her. Rachel was still standing near the stairs and looked fearful… Duncan stepped in the house and smiled at Rachel.   
  
"Hey, little lady!" Duncan said, "I'm Duncan! But you can call me your big-bro!"   
  
Rachel smiled slightly and came towards Duncan. "I'm Rachel, big-bro…" Rachel said timidly. Duncan made a silly face as he extended his hand to her. She giggled and took it in a gentle and loose hand shake.   
  
"Ready to go out to stuff our faces?" The college jock asked and yet again, Rachel nodded, then giggled and smiled widely.   
  
"Alright! Let's go!" Duncan said as he took Rachel up in his arms then put her on the back of his neck for a piggy back ride. Jean smiled widely and laughed as Duncan took Rachel outside.   
  
"Scott? Are you ok? You look flustered…" Jean said as she looked over at Scott… his face was red with anger. How dare Duncan for taking Scott's role as the father/brother figure?! How dare he for showing up and ruining every plan that Scott has to try to get Jean's heart?! As much as Scott wanted to voice these thoughts, he couldn't. He had to respect Jean and her choices…   
  
"I'm fine. Go and have fun… I'll see you in class." Scott said, disappointed.  
  
~  
  
"Ready for your first day, Ginger?" Amanda asked the bubbly girl. She was ecstatic! Literally bouncing off of the sidewalk around Kurt and Amanda, who were walking side by side.   
  
"Yeup! I can't wait, no I can't!" Ginger said as she jumped along side Kurt and Amanda as they walked to the college.   
  
"Iz Ginger-daughter going to talk like zis all day?" Kurt asked Ginger as he tried to keep his eyes on her.   
  
"Yes I am! Am I? yes!" Ginger said and smiled. Kurt and Amanda looked at each other and laughed lightly. Ginger had been talking like 'Sam I am' from Green Eggs and Ham, the Dr. Sues book. After 10 minutes, the 'family' arrived at the daycare portion of the Bayville College and it was hard to stop Ginger from running in and jumping all over the teacher. Kurt and Amanda walked around the day care with her since they, along with the others in their Juvenile Care class, had spent the past 2-3 years working in here and working with the kids here.   
  
Kurt and Amanda showed Ginger the elementary style desks and to the toys. They told her some rules like sharing and playing with the other children, and basically told her everything the class would do with plenty of "Aww… Ginger? Can I take your place here?" from Kurt. Soon, a bright boy came up to Ginger and poked her lightly on the shoulder.  
  
"Hi, Ginger! Wanna play?" Ben asked and Ginger nodded.  
  
"Hi, Ben! Alright!" Ginger said, then turned to Kurt and Amanda. "Bye Amanda-moma! Bye Kurt-papa!"   
  
"Hmm… wasn't Ben one of the children at the orphanage that got adopted?" Amanda asked. Kurt looked around the class room and saw that Hayli was in the corner playing with a Barbe doll.  
  
"I zink so, and zere is another one…" Kurt said. He looked next to Hayli and Kitty was right there. "Ey, let's go say 'ello to Kitty!" Kurt said and began to walk towards Kitty… but Amanda had to wonder, where are Ben's parents? Then, sure enough, the voices of Lance and Rogue could be heard from outside the class room…  
  
~  
  
"Fine! Ya can jus split! Ah won't care! Ah cun do this by myself anyway…" Rogue said as she glared at Lance.  
  
"Ha! Yeah, sure! And let you get all the credit?! I bet you would love to see me fail, wouldn't you? Besides, Rogue, you need me!" Lance sneered. "I wouldn't leave you alone with a child even if you DO pass all four years of this course! Remember, I have nearly 4 years of this class while you're barely going on three. You need me." Lance said as he poked Rogue in her shoulder with his index finger hard. Rogue was by no means a weak girl, but Lance is a strong guy, so she was pushed back slightly. Rogue scowled. This was the second time Lance had pushed her and she was starting to wonder if he and she would ever get along…  
  
With a deep sigh, Rogue looked up at the light blue sky. The day was calm and there was a gentle breeze that coexisted with the warm light of the sunshine to make it a perfect day for nature…   
  
"Rogue!" Amanda called out to the daydreamer. Rogue awoke and looked to where the voice had come from. She spotted Kurt, Amanda and Kitty walking her way. She put on a half smile as they stood beside her.   
  
"Like, hiya!" Kitty said cheerfully. "How are you?"  
  
"Ok… I guess.." Rogue said.  
  
"Huh? Vat iz wrong?" Kurt asked, detecting the hint of depression in Rogue's voice. Rogue shrugged and shook her head.   
  
"Nuthin'. How are you guys?" Rogue asked, trying to turn the conversation away from her.   
  
"I'm doing good! Oh my god! You guys, last night Pietro scared me sooo badly! He came home late and was really loud when he came in! It totally freaked out Hayli and me!" Kitty said and giggled along with Amanda. Rogue laughed a 1/4th hearted laugh to please the 'crowd'.   
  
"Hi, you guys!" Jean said as she ran over to the group after exiting the childcare building. "How are you all doing?"   
  
"Hi, Jean. I'm good." Amanda said.  
  
"We are ezellent!" Kurt said.  
  
  
  
"Like, hiya, Jean! I'm pretty good how are you and Scott doing?" Kitty asked as Jean joined them.  
  
"Just fine!" Jean said. Rogue merely rolled her eyes and sighed. She looked away from the group towards the sidewalk near by. "How are all of you doing with your families?" Jean asked them.  
  
"Prob'ly not as good as you…" Rogue muttered.  
  
"Huh?" Jean asked.  
  
"Ah Dun't have time right now to talk about it," Rogue said.   
  
"Oh… ok, sorry I guess…" Jean said and the group fell silent as they thought their own separate thoughts until Amanda came up with an idea.  
  
"Hey! I know! How about we all get together this Saturday and go to the park? ALL of our families, too! So we can get to know each other!" Amanda said.  
  
"Yeah! That totally sounds like a good idea!" Kitty said and Jean nodded.  
  
"Vell, look at that! Beauty and brains! Zat sounds good!" Kurt said as he looked over at Amanda who blushed and laughed.  
  
"Sarry ta crash your little idea, but what about the brotherhood ego?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Rogue… this is a time for all of us to come together and just have a little fun… let our kids meet the other ones… I'm sure the brotherhood will understand, too." Jean said softly and Rogue just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Whatever…" Rogue said.  
  
"Hey! Let's invite Wanda and Todd, too! They're in our class, also!" Amanda said.  
  
~  
  
Sean looked around at the other kids in the classroom with uncertainty. Sure, he had let Todd and Wanda in his room and take him here… but seeing these familiar kids from the orphanage he wasn't so sure anymore. He looked back at Wanda, who was right behind him, with his one good eye and a pleading look.  
  
"I don't want to stay here, Wanda…" Sean said and Wanda bent down to his level. She looked into his eyes with a gentle look.  
  
"Why not, Sean?" Wanda asked.  
  
"I just don't! Todd! Take me back!" Sean yelled, raising his voice to them as Todd entered the room and stood to the side of Wanda.   
  
"Sean-" Wanda began.  
  
"Hey, relax! Everything's fine! We'll pick ya up after class is out, kay?" Todd asked with his happy-go-lucky smile. Sean looked to the floor then, with out a word, walked away from Wanda and Todd and to one of his only friends in the edge of the class room; his solitude.   
  
"Todd… I'm still worried about him…" Wanda said as she turned around and walked out of the classroom. Todd put his arm around Wanda's shoulders and 'held' her.  
  
"It's alright, snookums! He'll open up to us!" Todd said happily. Wanda merely rolled her eyes and ignored the fact that Todd was 'holding' her. She really didn't notice it until Kurt and Amanda came up to them… Then, Wanda elbowed Todd hard in the side and Todd let go of Wanda to hold his (now bruised) side.   
  
"Hi, you guys! Would you like to go to the park with us on Saturday? All of us from class are going!" Amanda said cheerfully. Wanda was about to turn them down, but Kurt spoke right after Amanda.  
  
"It vould be a good time for all of our kids to meet each ozer!" Kurt said.  
  
"…alright. Why not?" Wanda said and looked over at Todd. "We'll be there."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: YAY!! My computer stopped freezing! Uh… let's jus hope dat when I save this then post it my computer doesn't wipe the file like it's done the last 4 times!! 


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